The Algarve's cheapest 18-hole courses ranked by their real 2026/27 green fees, from €57 at Santo António, plus nine-hole rounds from €22 and the best twilight deals.
Golf in the Algarve doesn't have to mean paying €200 a round. The most famous courses, such as the Vilamoura Old Course, Monte Rei and Quinta do Lago South, start at €188 to €215 for a single round. But plenty of full 18-hole courses cost a third of that. Here are the cheapest golf courses in the Algarve, ranked on their real green fees.
How we ranked them
Each price is the lowest standard green fee a visitor can book for one round on their own: no member, resident, junior or multi-round rates, and no packages that bundle a buggy. We took prices from each club's official price list or its own online booking for the 2026/27 season, checked in October 2026. Twilight rates are listed separately below. Prices change with the season, and most clubs that sell online adjust them day by day, so treat each figure as a starting point. Every course links to its own green fees page with the month-by-month prices.
The 10 cheapest 18-hole golf courses in the Algarve
1. Santo António, Vila do Bispo: from €57
Santo António is the cheapest 18-hole course in the Algarve and also the westernmost, in the hills behind the fishing village of Salema. Its official 2026 rates are €57 for most of the year and €68 from March to May and in September and October, with twilight rounds from 1:30pm for €35. It is par 71 and 5,712 metres, designed by Pepe Gancedo, and hilly enough that the club recommends a buggy. The club doesn't publish a handicap limit, so check when you book. Santo António green fees
2. Espiche, Lagos: from €65
Espiche, west of Lagos, was designed by Peter Sauerman and opened in 2012. It plays 5,890 metres, par 72, through native scrub with views to the Monchique hills. On the club's own online booking it cost €65 in December and €68 for most of the low and shoulder months, rising to €99 in spring. Summer twilight rounds were €54. Espiche green fees
3. Benamor, Tavira: from €66
Benamor, just outside Tavira, was laid out from Sir Henry Cotton's plans and opened in 2000. At 5,456 metres, par 71, it is one of the shortest 18-hole courses in the region. Its internet rates are €66 in low season (December, January and June to August), €95 in mid-season and €103 in high season, with afternoon tee times in low season for €59. The handicap limit is 28 for men and 36 for ladies. Benamor green fees
4. Quinta do Vale, Castro Marim: from €67
Quinta do Vale, near the Spanish border, is a Seve Ballesteros design that opened in 2007. It plays 6,206 metres, par 72, with views over the Guadiana River. On the club's online booking it was €67 in December and €68 in January and from June to August, rising to €99 in spring. The handicap limit is 28 for men and 36 for ladies. Quinta do Vale green fees
5. Alto Golf, Alvor: from €73
Alto Golf in Alvor, which Pestana describes as the last course Sir Henry Cotton designed, costs €73 in December, January and June to August, €109 in November, February, May and September, and €131 in March, April and October. Twilight rounds from 3pm are only €45. It is par 70 and 5,432 metres, and it accepts handicaps up to 36 for men and ladies, which makes it one of the easiest full courses to get onto. Alto Golf green fees
6. Boavista, Lagos: from €74
Boavista, on the edge of Lagos, is a hillside Howard Swan design from 2002 with views over the Bay of Lagos. Its online rate starts at about €74 in low season, and its published rates for November 2026 to December 2027 run from €86 to €126. It has the strictest handicap rule on this list: 26 for men and 34 for ladies. Boavista green fees
7. Penina Championship, Portimão: from about €77
Penina Championship, Sir Henry Cotton's 1966 course and the first 18-hole course built in the Algarve, is a surprise at this end of the list. Penina hasn't published a visitor price list since 2024/25, so our figure comes from booking agents: from about €77 when we checked in September 2026. Its last official list started at €85 online. The handicap limit is 28 for men and 36 for ladies. Penina green fees
8. Salgados, Albufeira: from €78
Salgados, on flat coastal land behind Praia da Galé, has water in play on almost every hole and the Salgados Lagoon nature reserve next door. On the club's online booking it cost €78 in January, July and August and up to €139 in spring and autumn. Twilight rounds started at €47 in those cheaper months. The handicap limit is 28 for men and 36 for ladies. Salgados green fees
9. Morgado and Alamos, Portimão: from €82
The twin NAU courses north of Portimão share a clubhouse, a practice ground and a price list. Morgado is the longer and more open of the two at 6,399 metres, par 73; Alamos is shorter and tighter at 5,710 metres, par 71. Both cost €82 in January and December (and in high summer) on the club's online booking, rising to €128 in spring. The handicap limit is 28 for men and 36 for ladies. Read Alamos vs Morgado to choose between them.
10. Castro Marim: from €80 to €87
Castro Marim has 27 holes in three nines near the Spanish border. Its official 2026 price list starts at €80 for 18 holes in low season, while its online booking was showing €87 when we checked. The club asks for a handicap certificate but doesn't publish a maximum. Castro Marim green fees
Just outside the top 10, Vilamoura Laguna and Millennium start at €88 in late autumn and winter, the cheapest way to play in Vilamoura. Ombria, near Loulé, dropped to €85 in June but costs €99 to €216 the rest of the year.
The cheapest nine-hole rounds
If you only want a short round, or you are a beginner, nine holes cost far less:
[Vale de Milho](/courses/vale-de-milho), Carvoeiro: €22. A nine-hole, all par-3 course, 926 metres in total, with the same price all year. No handicap is needed, but the club expects you to have had a few lessons.
[Penina Resort Course](/courses/penina-resort), Portimão: about €28. A proper nine-hole par 35 by Sir Henry Cotton, with no handicap required. As with the Championship Course, Penina publishes no current rates, so this is the booking agents' price.
[Balaia](/courses/balaia), Albufeira: €50 day fee. A nine-hole par-3 course at Balaia Golf Village. The resort says a handicap is required but gives no limit.
[Pine Cliffs](/courses/pine-cliffs), Albufeira: €57 to €76. Nine clifftop holes above the beach, including the famous par-3 Devil's Parlour. Players without a handicap are welcome from the red tees. For more short courses, see the Algarve's best par-3 golf courses.
The cheapest twilight golf
Twilight rates for late-afternoon tee times can cut the price of a full course by a third or more. The cheapest we found on 18-hole courses were €35 at Santo António (from 1:30pm), €45 at Alto Golf (from 3pm), €47 at Salgados, €50 at Pestana's [Gramacho](/courses/gramacho), [Vale da Pinta](/courses/vale-da-pinta) and [Silves](/courses/silves), and €54 at Espiche in summer. Even Pestana's Vila Sol and the new Pestana Ferragudo, which start at €130 for a standard round, offer twilight for €60. Just check the sunset time: in midwinter a late tee time may not leave enough light for 18 holes.
How to pay less at any Algarve course
Pick your months. At most courses on this list, the cheapest months are December, January and June to August. Spring (March to May) and October are the most expensive, because that is when most golfers visit. Our guide to the Algarve golf season explains the trade-offs month by month.
Book on the club's own website. Many clubs sell their lowest online rates directly. Boavista's web rate, for example, is lower than its published rack rate.
Look west or east. The cheapest courses are at the two ends of the Algarve: around Lagos, Portimão and Vila do Bispo in the west, and Tavira and Castro Marim in the east. The Golden Triangle and Vilamoura's best-known courses are the most expensive. Our guide to west vs east Algarve compares the two sides, and each town page, from Lagos to Tavira, puts every local green fee in one table.
Check your handicap first. A cheap round is no use if you can't get on. Most of these courses ask for 28 for men and 36 for ladies; Alto Golf accepts 36 for everyone, and Boavista is stricter at 26 and 34. Our guide to handicap rules in the Algarve has the details.
Want to compare prices yourself? Open the Algarve golf course map to see every course's green fees, handicap limits and facilities side by side.
